Black Sand
Black Sand is an idea that has been in development for several years, under several different names. PetiteTarte began finalizing the story, cast, and characters in December, 2014. Currently, it is a mix of the 'slice of life' and 'magical girl' genres, and is expected to be a game geared towards teens and young adults. Tumblr Post On December 31st, 2014, PetiteTarte wrote a vague description of the project, which was then posted to her oc (original characters) ask blog (x). The following is that description, unedited. ''---'' : This blog is devoted to the characters from my little project, but how many of you actually know what the project is? I’m guessing not too many—I haven’t exactly talked about it much. : In short, it’s a game that’s inspired by Magical Girl anime, but features a racially diverse/LGBTQIA+ friendly cast. Romance also takes a back seat. The focus is all on college girls fighting against injustice and prejudice. : I explained the game to someone as: ::: The girls are basically the leaders of a feminist sorority, and they a lot of demonstrations to bring attention to social issues. But, they each have really weird, vivid dreams about some malevolent force in the galaxy. There seems to be some correlation between their actions in the real world, and the forces at work in their dreams, but they can’t figure it out. Over time, they become more active within the dreams and are able to influence the events. ::: Basically. Think of a magical girl anime starring a LGBTQIA+ friendly and racially diverse cast, wherein the magical girl themes directly represent the social issues in the real world. The things they fight against in one world affect the other world—every time they make some stride forward in the fight for justice in the real world, the forces of evil in their dreams grow weaker. : And, while it is still in HEAVY development, that’s the basic jist of it. College activists fighting for what they believe in, and every time they do something that makes a huge impression, it directly affects the evil forces that control their dreams/nightmares. Especially in Hei-Ran’s case, this is meant to represent how their activism helps them fight against the horrors of their pasts, which still affect them deeply to this day. : This game is meant to make players feel powerful, not only within the realm of the game but also in their own lives. The girls are meant to be relatable to those who can’t always relate to characters in mainstream media. They’re meant to show people that when they make a stand, it means something. They are powerful. They affect the world. They can escape their pasts. : That is something that magical girls have always represented to me, which is why I included that part in the game. Plus, it’ll be a fun combat system and could be used to bring up issues in a way that the ‘real world’ segments couldn’t. : Also, romance is pointedly taking a back seat because honestly? It’s not important. This is about self reliance. But, it will be mentioned mainly because I want to take a look at poly relationships and LGBTQIA+ issues. I just don’t want to make it seem like someone’s entire life hinges on those relationships. : Black Sand is a project about empowerment, and I hope that someday it’ll become a reality. For now, I have this blog and my sketches. And, with luck, your support ♥ Inspiration Black Sand has been heavily inspired by many different parts of pop culture, and the creator's own life. Below we detail those inspirations.